


i protect you from myself

by MyDestinyIsWritten



Series: Zukka Week 2021 [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: M/M, Soulmates, Zukka Week 2021
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 11:19:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30088284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyDestinyIsWritten/pseuds/MyDestinyIsWritten
Summary: Zuko is Sokka's enemy, but he still knows he'd never hurt him.  He'd never want to anyway.Day 2 of Zukka Week 2021, prompt is soulmates.
Relationships: Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Zukka Week 2021 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2213652
Comments: 4
Kudos: 46





	i protect you from myself

**Author's Note:**

> Soulmate AU where you can never hurt or wound your soulmate

Zuko wasn’t trying to actually hurt anyone. The kicks and punches of fire were all set to just graze them and surprise them enough to leave an opening for an attack. The water tribe girl had improved a lot in her waterbending since they had last seen each other, she was holding her own against 3 of his people pretty easily.

Zuko looked around and realized the avatar was gone. He groaned, this area was surrounded by woods and they could be anywhere by now. 

Running into the thick exfoliation, he chops at the vines and leaves in his path. 

The kid’s an airbender, he probably just flew over all of this. That also meant there would probably be no broken branches or misplaced plants to show where he went, how fun.

Zuko stumbles into a clearing and spins around, hearing a snap in the bushes. Pulling out a sword he glances at the rustling plants and stalks forward. 

He’d underestimated the avatar before but he wouldn’t do it again. Kid or not, he was the chosen one and Zuko needed to take him in, then all the killing could stop and everything could become normal again.

He’d go home and would be welcomed into the palace gates with open arms and cheers from the crowd, he’d be respected. He’d gain his honor again as prince of the Fire Nation.

Zuko was surprised as a blue shadow jumped out of the bushes at him, wielding a thick tree branch and swinging it at his head.

Jumping back he sticks his sword up and the tree branch, however thick it was, is sliced clean through.

The shadow isn’t the avatar. It’s his other Water Tribe friend, the waterbender’s brother. But that didn’t matter, the only thing that mattered was that he could tell Zuko where the child is.

Zuko easily apprehends him and takes his wrists in a tight grip, holding them behind his back. Growling, he asks, “Where is the avatar?”

For some reason, his grip keeps slacking and Zuko’s struggling to get a proper hold of them. It felt like they were dipped in oil, but the boy’s wrists had cloth hand wraps on them.

The boy- _ Sokka _ , his brain prompts, pulling it up from overheard conversations- slips out of Zuko’s grip and manages to take his sword, using Zuko’s surprise to his advantage.

Sokka holds the blade to his chest and Zuko raises his hands.

“Why do you want to get Aang so bad?”

Zuko snarled and jumped, kicking at Sokka’s chest and sending the blade spinning. The weird thing was that the kick barely landed. 

Pursing his lips, Zuko punched at his head this time. Same effect. The hits were landing but there was nothing else happening.

It clicked too late.

The look on Sokka’s face shows he already figured it out too.

It wasn’t that Zuko didn’t believe in soulmates, he’d just never thought about what he’d do if he had one. The topic seemed foreign to him, he’d never actually know anyone who found their soulmate and with the little he’d heard about it, a myth seemed like a good explanation for them. 

Zuko knew they were real, soulmates had always been a topic he’d push to the back of his head though. 

There were at least 3 ways you could physically know who your soulmate is, not being able to harm them was probably the most common one. You could never hurt them.

Zuko gulped but Sokka didn’t look appalled, just surprised. That was weird, they were on opposite sides.

With wide eyes the blue-eyed boy takes one of Zuko’s wrist between his fingers, holding it with a feathery and calloused touch.

Zuko’s too shocked at what’s going on to stop him.

The admittedly gentle hold could be interpreted as hostile if you wanted, the boy could easily bend his arm back and flip him.

...but at the same time, the touch was pleasant and cool. It was his soulmate that was touching him. His soulmate who was on the opposite side of the war. It was the water tribe boy the whole time.

Zuko’s first thought was something along the lines of,  _ ‘Wow _ ”, because he hadn’t realized it before but  _ Sokka’s _ eyes, they captured his own and held them, staring with wonder and curiosity and other things Zuko for the life of him couldn’t place. The sharp blue was piercing into him and he had never felt so open to anyone before, like his life was on display for anyone who walked by to see.

Zuko realizes his head is spinning. The only thing he can see is Sokka right now.

Sokka shakes his wrist and Zuko realizes he asked him something.

“Why are you doing this?”, the other boy’s voice is soft now, much softer than before. Unbearably calm and smooth.

With a gulp, Zuko takes in the question and with a raspy voice asks, “Doing what?”

A small frown forms between Sokka’s eyebrows, “Everything, hurting people, trying to get Aang”, Zuko considers it, “He never did anything to you, what’ll you get from capturing him?”

If it was anyone else, Zuko would’ve already attacked them, but he’s frustrated. It’s his soulmate, it’s destiny, right?

“I can go back home if I do”, and it’s true, that’s why he wants the avatar; to go home, to not be constantly moving and searching for the avatar’s whereabouts, and to go back to the Fire Nation where everyone will be proud of him, “To get my honor back”

Zuko’s chest is floating and he feels like he’s in a dream.

“Why don’t you have honor?”, Sokka asks. The question makes him falter.

“I talked back, I was disrespectful”

“That’s stupid, I’ve mouthed off before too” the fingers around his wrist tighten, “I knew it was a mistake and I apologized”

Sokka spoke again, “That’s something you get extra chores for, not banishment”

No, that’s where he was wrong. He had to be. Zuko wanted to throw up as dots clicked together in his head, showing a bigger picture.

Zuko doesn’t know how to answer so Sokka asks another question, whispering in a hushed and soft voice this time, “Do you want to be doing this?”

_ Want _ . 

Zuko doesn’t know.

“Whenever you decide, our group is open for you to join. You can’t let other people decide what you want, that’s all your choice”

“Ok”

“I promised them both I’d get back to them soon and it would be a huge help if you could stop attacking us” Sokka grimaces a smile.

“You’re going?”

Sokka looks conflicted, “Come with me, you can help us and we can help you”

As tempting as it is, Zuko doesn’t think he can.

“I won’t hurt you”, the words seem right, but Zuko doesn’t know where they came from, they weren’t relevant at all. It was true though, Zuko couldn’t hurt him, he wouldn’t and he knows that.

Sokka rests his other hand on his cheek and Zuko tenses at the touch. It was so gentle, he doesn’t remember the last time he’d felt like this.

“I know you won’t”

Zuko nods, “I’ll see you when I see you then” than as an afterthought, “Bye”

Sokka’s breath tickles his cheek as he pulls Zuko into a hug. His first instinct is to pull away but he melts into the touch after a second. Sokka’s shorter than him by an inch but his arms wrap around Zuko’s neck pulling him in, they cling to him and Sokka warmth presses against him like a wave of euphoria. His arms wrap around Sokka hesitantly and the hug gets even tighter.

Brilliant blue eyes are imprinted into his eyes long after they both part ways.

-

Pulling at the long sleeves of the red robe, Zuko looks at Sokka to find him snickering.

He’d insisted he could get the large wraps of cloth around him by himself and Sokka had watched him from the bed, laughing the entire time.

“They shouldn't make these so complicated” Zuko huffs.

“It’s your coronation, Zuzu” Sokka doesn’t hide his laughs, “They want you to remember it, and I’m sure this is definitely going to be very memorable”

Zuko rolls his eyes and Sokka gets up, ignoring another round of Zuko’s protests insisting he can do it himself, and grabs a length of the thick fabric, wrapping it around Zuko’s torso over his robe.

Zuko pokes him and Sokka falls to the floor in his dramatics, “You’ve wounded me” he moans, rolling.

Zuko drops next to him, getting even more tangled up in his coronation robe, “I thought I can’t hurt you,’ he laughs.

Sokka looks out from under his arms. “But you did” he whines.

Zuko responds with another laugh, “We should probably get going”

Sokka moves onto his side so that they’re both face to face and kisses him gently.

“You’re going to be a great Fire Lord”

“What if I mess up?”

“You will, but I’ll help you fix it, we all will. Even Toph, probably.”

Resting their foreheads together Zuko stares into Sokka’s eyes again. They’re clear and bright and blue, Zuko loves them.

Zuko loves him.

**Author's Note:**

> dsnckjs tbh i kinda thought i'd quit after the first one but here i am so yayy, hope you enjoyed it!! (Also pls leave a comment, pretty please)


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